Human beings are natural storytellers. But as the Advocate Aurora Health employee assistance program reminds us, gossip is another story altogether, especially in the workplace. Gossiping about co-workers can lead to:
- Erosion of trust and morale
- Lost productivity and wasted time
- Increased anxiety among team members as rumors circulate without clear information as to what may be true
- Divisiveness among teams as people take sides
- Hurt feelings and reputations
- Loss of good employees because of an unhealthy work environment
So take a moment and THINK through these five questions before speaking:
- Is what I’m about to say True?
- Is what I’m about to say Helpful?
- Is what I’m about to say Important?
- Is what I’m about to say Necessary?
- Is what I’m about to say Kind?
If you’d like additional support for healthy workplace communication, you can call the AAH EAP at 800-236-3231. To access AAH EAP online resources, visit aah.org/eap.